The disposal of non-biodegradable and non-recyclable (non-renewable) waste is a pressing environmental challenge. Contributing to the problem is the disposal of packaging materials for a variety of household and personal care products. These materials are typically are made of plastic and/or metal.
Various attempts have been made to address this problem. International Patent Application Publication WO 91/06601, for example, teaches biodegradable polymer compositions containing one or more polymers and a filler. The filler contains a degradation-enhancing material and a biodegradable safening material. According to the specification, the safening material inhibits the degrading activity of the enhancing material. Thus, once the safening material is degraded, the activity of the degradation enhancer is restored.
International Patent Application Publication WO 96/03886 teaches biodegradable moldings for packaging food or non-food products. The moldings contain a self supporting base, obtained by baking a suspension based on a starch product, and a water-resistant film made of wax components.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20060265952 A1 teaches containers dimensioned and configured so as to accommodate consumable products such as cosmetics, hair and skin care products, foods, small appliances and optical disks. The containers are made of a biodegradable material containing plant seed.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,854 teaches shaped bodies useful as packaging materials. The bodies are made from a bakeable mass produced by mixing from 7.8 to 8.5% by weight of cellulosic fibers, from 16.1 to 17.6% by weight of native starch, from 5.4 to 6.0% by weight of pregelatinized starch and from 68.0 to 70.6% by weight of water. The bakeable mass is formed into a shaped body and then baked to produce a biodegradable package.